Allstate Sugar Bowl Odds

College Football Betting Online: As part of the CFP rotation of games, the Sugar Bowl gets its second semifinal matchup with the 2017 season playing. The bowl hosted a semifinal tilt in the first year of the CFP during the 2014 season and watched its beloved SEC team Alabama get thumped by Ohio State. The game has a long-standing relationship with the SEC and has hosted some of the league’s greatest players and teams over the last 83 years.

The 2017 Allstate Sugar Bowl will take place on Monday, January 1, 2018 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:45 p.m. ET with ESPN carrying the CFP semifinal matchup.

Allstate Sugar Bowl Odds at BookMaker.eu

Alabama Crimson Tide -2

Clemson Tigers +2

Over/Under TBD

After their loss to Auburn, the Crimson Tide were in danger of not making the College Football Playoffs, but squeezed in as the No.4 team. Despite ranking fourth, Alabama is favored against No. 1 Clemson.

The Alabama versus Clemson matchup has become a tradition in the College Football Playoffs. Having met in the National Championship game each of the last two years, we’re assured that the matchup will be different this season as this time, the two will duke it out to see who will get to advance to the title game.

Clemson has had a tough schedule this year and already has a win over the same Auburn team that beat Alabama. Playing a different style of ball without DeShaun Watson, the defense is as good as ever.

Jalen Hurts didn’t matchup against Watson last year, but Hurts looks more favorable compared to Kelly Bryant. Bryant is an effective runner with 11 rushing touchdowns. He’s also got a higher completion percentage and more total yards than Hurt, but he’s not quite as reliable either. Hurts threw only one interception all year long. Bryant is a potentially more prolific option, but he’s also more prone to a mistake.

With the matchup close on this again, the final could come down to which team makes the fewest mistakes. That would likely be ‘Bama, but the talent advantage may play in Clemson’s favor. The Tigers topped the Tide a season ago and could very well do so again.

Sugar Bowl Format

Much like the Rose Bowl’s gentlemens agreement with the now Pac-12 and its teams, the Sugar Bowl has had a similar relationship with the Southeastern Conference. From the 1950 playing through the 1995 season game, all but one bowl had a SEC representative.

The SEC’s opponent in the bowl has varied over the years. The old Southwest Conference provided a team, as did the Big 8. The game has also featured major independent programs due to its lack of affiliation with another conference. The Big 12 has most recently stepped in to provide opposition.

The Sugar Bowl was a part of the BCS and hosted two national championship games before the title tilt broke off on its own. Now a part of the CFP New Year’s Six games, the Sugar Bowl will host its second national semifinal in the 2017 season playing. For the 2014 season playing, Ohio State defeated Alabama in a national semifinal on its way to winning the first CFP Championship game.

Sugar Bowl Game Results

Season

Winners

Losers

2016

Oklahoma

Auburn

2015

Mississippi

Oklahoma State

2014

Ohio State

Alabama

2013

Oklahoma

Alabama

2012

Louisville

Florida

2011

Michigan

Virginia Tech

2010

Ohio State

Arkansas

2009

Florida

Cincinnati

2008

Utah

Alabama

2007

Georgia

Hawaii

2006

LSU

Notre Dame

2005

West Virginia

Georgia

2004

Auburn

Virginia Tech

2003

LSU

Oklahoma

2002

Georgia

Florida State

2001

LSU

Illinois

2000

Miami, Fla.

Florida

1999

Florida State

Virginia Tech

1998

Ohio State

Texas AM

1997

Florida State

Ohio State

1996

Florida

Florida State

1995

Virginia Tech

Texas

1994

Florida State

Florida

1993

Florida

West Virginia

1992

Alabama

Miami, Fla.

1991

Notre Dame

Florida

1990

Tennessee

Virginia

1989

Miami, Fla.

Alabama

1988

Florida State

Auburn

*1987

Syracuse/Auburn

Auburn/Syracuse

1986

Nebraska

LSU

1985

Tennessee

Miami, Fla.

1984

Nebraska

LSU

1983

Auburn

Michigan

1982

Penn State

Georgia

1981

Pittsburgh

Georgia

1980

Georgia

Notre Dame

1979

Alabama

Arkansas

1978

Alabama

Penn State

1977

Alabama

Ohio State

1976

Pittsburgh

Georgia

1975

Alabama

Penn State

1974

Nebraska

Florida

1973

Notre Dame

Alabama

1972

Oklahoma

Penn State

1971

Oklahoma

Auburn

1970

Tennessee

Air Force

1969

Mississippi

Arkansas

1968

Arkansas

Georgia

1967

LSU

Wyoming

1966

Alabama

Nebraska

1965

Missouri

Florida

1964

LSU

Syracuse

1963

Alabama

Mississippi

1962

Mississippi

Arkansas

1961

Alabama

Arkansas

1960

Mississippi

Rice

1959

Mississippi

LSU

1958

LSU

Clemson

1957

Mississippi

Texas

1956

Baylor

Tennessee

1955

Georgia Tech

Pittsburgh

1954

Navy

Mississippi

1953

Georgia Tech

West Virginia

1952

Georgia Tech

Mississippi

1951

Maryland

Tennessee

1950

Kentucky

Oklahoma

1949

Oklahoma

LSU

1948

Oklahoma

North Carolina

1947

Texas

Alabama

1946

Georgia

North Carolina

1945

Oklahoma State

Saint Mary's (CA)

1944

Duke

Alabama

1943

Georgia Tech

Tulsa

1942

Tennessee

Tulsa

1941

Fordham

Missouri

1940

Boston College

Tennessee

1939

Texas AM

Tulane

1938

TCU

Carnegie Mellon

1937

Santa Clara

LSU

1936

Santa Clara

LSU

1935

TCU

LSU

1934

Tulane

Temple

*1987 Sugar Bowl ended in tie

With the SEC considered one of, if not the strongest football conference in the country, the Sugar Bowl has seen its share of great teams and great players. The game traditionally hosted the SEC champion against another top-tier opponent, though that arrangement has been altered slightly over the last 20 years due to bowl alliances and conference realignment.

The bowl has hosted four mythical national championship games in the past. The 1992 season ended with Alabama beating Miami in the Bowl Coalition title game. The Bowl Alliance had Florida against Florida State in the championship game following the 1996 season. The BCS title for the 1999 season saw Florida State beat Virginia. The Sugar Bowl hosted the BCS title game four years later with LSU defeating Oklahoma.

In years it doesn’t host a national semifinal, the bowl will place the highest ranked SEC team against the highest ranked Big 12 club according to the CFP. This arrangement started with the new playoff system, but was delayed a year due to the game hosting a semifinal in the 2014 season. The 2015 season playing saw No. 12 Mississippi knockoff of Oklahoma State 48-20.

Last season’s game matched Big 12 champion Oklahoma against Auburn in what was Bob Stoops’ last game as coach of the Sooners. His team easily handled the Tigers, posting a 35-19 victory. It was Oklahoma’s second Sugar Bowl win in the last four games and their sixth overall. OU has the most bowl wins of any team not currently in the SEC.

Most All-Time Wins at Sugar Bowl

Wins

Team

Years Won

8

Alabama

1961, 1963, 1966, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1992

6

LSU

1958, 1964, 1967, 2001, 2003, 2006

6

Mississippi

1957, 1959, 1960, 1962, 1969, 2015

6

Oklahoma

1948, 1949, 1971, 1972, 2013, 2016

4

Florida State

1988, 1994, 1997, 1999

4

Georgia

1946, 1980, 2002, 2007

4

Georgia Tech

1943, 1952, 1953, 1955

4

Tennessee

1942, 1970, 1985, 1990

It stands to reason that SEC teams would be littered throughout the list of squads that have competed in and won the most Sugar Bowls. Alabama is tops in both categories with eight wins in its 15 appearances. The Tide have lost their last three trips to the Sugar Bowl, falling in the 2015, 2014 and 2009 games. With the bowl hosting a CFP semifinal this season, we could see Bama with a chance to end that slide.

LSU has appeared in the second-most games and is tied with Ole Miss and Oklahoma in wins with six behind Alabama. The Tigers are the only program to lose three straight Sugar Bowls, falling in 1936, 1937 and 1938 with the last two defeats at the hands of Santa Clara University.

We’ll see another top-10 matchup in this season’s game with a CFP semifinal taking place. It’ll be the 17 game between highly-ranked programs in the last 25 years.